Federal Pretzel Baking Company facts for kids
The Federal Pretzel Baking Company was a famous company in Philadelphia that made lots of soft pretzels. It was the first company to make pretzels on a very large scale in the city.
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| Subsidiary J&J Snack Foods Corp (since 2001) | |
| Industry | Commercial bakery |
| Founded | Family Owned (1922–2000) |
| Headquarters | Original location: 690 Federal Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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Key people
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Nacchio Family |
| Products | Pretzels |
| Revenue | N/A USD (2010) |
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Number of employees
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30+ (2000) |
Contents
The Story of Federal Pretzels
The Federal Pretzel Baking Company started as a small bakery owned by the Nacchio family. They had a secret recipe for soft pretzels. Over time, they grew their small bakery into a huge business.
How It All Began: 1922
Maria and Giuseppe Nacchio owned a small Italian-American bakery. Maria made delicious soft pretzels there. Their bakery was in a busy Italian-American neighborhood in South Philadelphia.
In the 1920s, their son, Edmund, saw how popular soft pretzels were. He decided to turn the family recipe into a bigger business. He opened a factory to bake many more pretzels. Workers still twisted the pretzels by hand. Then, machines from Germany moved them through a special soaking solution and into ovens. This new way of making lots of pretzels became the Federal Pretzel Baking Company.
Helping During Wartime: 1940
During World War II, there was not enough wheat flour. The United States Department of Agriculture asked experts, including the Nacchio family, for help. They worked together to find new ways to bake. One idea was to use corn flour mixed with wheat flour. This helped make bread and other baked goods like pretzels.
Family Business Continues: 1947
Four brothers first started the company. After Edmund passed away in 1947, his brothers Joseph, Carmine, and Anthony kept the company running.
Baking the Biggest Pretzel: 1963
Joseph Nacchio of the Federal Pretzel Baking Company set a record. He baked the largest pretzel ever! It weighed 40 lb (18 kg) and was five feet wide. This huge pretzel even appeared in the 1963 Hollywood film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Another large pretzel, weighing 20 lb (9.1 kg), was also made for the movie.
Machines Take Over: 1978
The company started using machines to make soft pretzels even faster. These machines could make seven pretzels every second! They baked 60,000 pretzels each day. The company still used the original 1922 recipe. However, the pretzels were no longer twisted by hand. They did not have the special overlapping knot anymore.
New Pretzel Businesses: 1990
Anna Nacchio and Norma Nacchio-Conley, who were daughters of the founders, started their own pretzel business called PretzCo. It was separate from the Federal Pretzel Baking Company. They had a special area to show the family's history. They also created a new, softer pretzel recipe.
The Pretzel Museum: 1992
A Pretzel Museum was opened by Norma Conley and her partner Jean Collins. It showed how special Philadelphia's pretzels were. The museum had different locations in Philadelphia. Visitors could take tours and even try twisting their own pretzels. A champion pretzel twister named Helen Hoff could make 57 pretzels in one minute! The museum closed before 1995.
A New Owner: 2000
The Nacchio family owned and ran the company for four generations. In 2000, they sold the business to a larger company called J & J Snack Foods Corporation.
